


In the End, It's Enough

by RubyFiamma



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst, M/M, One-Sided Relationship, Past Relationship(s), letting go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2015-10-11
Packaged: 2018-04-25 20:30:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4975447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RubyFiamma/pseuds/RubyFiamma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kise encounters Kagami at one of Aomine's games and finds the answer he was looking for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the End, It's Enough

**In the End, It's Enough**

* * *

 

It's not as warm in the stadium as Kise had thought it would be when he slips through the heavy doors quietly as not to disturb the audience. The screeching of rubber against laminate echoes through the space as do the bellowing voices of the players on the court. It's been a while since he's been to one of these games.

Through his peripheral he sees a pillar he can meld into if he needs to, Kise isn't wanted to be spotted by anyone else that may be watching the game too. It's quiet up here, there's no Momoi, no Murasakibara and Himuro or Midorima and Takao like he's used to seeing but when he scans the crowd he does see a familiar garnet mop atop of wide shoulders shrouded in red and white.

 _Of_ _course_ _he'd_ _be_ _here_ , Kise scoffs inwardly. The jealousy bites back sour on his tongue and he has to look out onto the actual court to derail himself from a train of thought he'd rather not follow.

There's a blur of black and gold and blue that streaks down the court so fast that Kise's eyes barely catch it, but his mind has already registered what the marvellous light is. It's an easy conclusion honed from many years of watching and learning the techniques of this one man. It's been years and the amount of raw talent never ceases to amaze him.

Aomine moves with cat-like grace, lithe and limber as he manoeuvres around opponents, holding the ball in the palm of his hand like it's part of him. It's like he's waltzing on the court to some unheard symphony attuned for his ears only. It makes Kise's chest hurt; a bubble of pride swelling too large for the confines of his rib cage as Aomine makes the jump, as Aomine soars through the air looking like the epitome of freedom. He dunks the shot and clutches the rim as he sways for a moment and just before he drops to his feet, Kise sees the grin spread wide across his face, the excitement sketched on his gorgeously sharp features.

 _He's_   _happy_.

Kise lets out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and that ballooning pressure inside his chest finally explodes, taking his heart along as collateral damage. It hurts when it shouldn't.

"Kise."

A voice from behind startles him, keeps the tears that had been threatening to fall at bay. It doesn't prove helpful though; this isn't the voice of someone he wanted to acknowledge.

"Ka... Kagamicchi." Kise turns as Kagami steps beside him, his eyes searching frantically for an exit just as quickly as his brain thinks of an excuse. "How did you —?"

"I thought I saw you on my way to the vendor. Circled around and came through those doors to make sure I wasn't seein' things." Kagami jabs a thumb over his shoulder, directing Kise to the same doors he had slipped through without making a sound. The same doors that betrayed him.

"I see," Kise replies with a slow nod. The tension is near tangible between them like Kise could reach out and grab it and shove it to the side so meetings like these would stop being so awkward; so things would go back to the way they were. Except Kise is pretty sure Kagami isn't aware of any of this anyway; that nothing's changed at all.

"Come to watch the game, huh? Is the rest of Kaijou here?" asks Kagami, stuffing his hands into his track pants. They're black, not the usual Seirin issued uniform. Only the jacket is. Now Kise is certain Kagami isn't here with the rest of his team, nor is he here with Kuroko. He's here on his own, coming to watch Aomine play in casual clothes and shoes that look too similar to ones Aomine wears — to be  _supportive_  instead of learning — this is not some educational field trip for Seirin. Kagami's here because he wants to be.

"Ah no," Kise answers, still fumbling over an excuse to ensure a quick and easy exit. "I uh... I just came to —"

"Watch him play?" asks Kagami, looking out onto the court, a grin too wide and too proud for it to be the simple admiration of another's skills. He says  _him_ and not  _them_ and when Kise follows his line of sight it's Aomine it falls on. He's jogging down the court as Sakurai prepares for a three-pointer.

"Yeah... Something like that," admits Kise, a little too shaky with a disappointment Kagami thankfully is too stupid to catch on to.

It's early enough that most people don't know about them. Maybe they've told Kuroko and Momoi. Maybe their teammates know. They don't make it obvious but Kise sees it. They don't have to announce their feelings for Kise to notice them, he's seen them for quite some time now. Maybe even before Kagami and Aomine realised themselves.

"I hate to admit it but the idiot's kind of amazing," Kagami says in a rush of breath, just as Aomine looks up and Kise catches the smile that breaks the other's face. It isn't Kise he's smiling at and he feels stupid for expecting it to be for him. Aomine probably isn't even aware of Kise's existence in the stands. No matter how much Kise hates this, how unfair he thinks this is, Aomine is happier than he's ever seen the other. It's agonising knowing it isn't because of him, but pushing past his selfishness, Kise knows that Aomine's happiness has always been the only thing that matters.

His chest aches and he's not sure he can trust his voice when he opens his mouth to speak and he already knows the answer before he asks the question.

"Do you love him?" he asks Kagami, taking a step back into the shadows, heading for the bright red beacon of light that will aid his escape once Kagami replies.

The jerk of Kagami's head is so fierce it looks like he's snapped his neck. His eyes are blown open in surprise but there's something telling in the wide black of his pupils. "How did you — wait — _what_?"

Kise places his hand on the metal push bar and he doesn't realise he's smiling before he repeats himself. "Aominecchi... Do you love him?"

Kagami stutters, fumbles over sounds that never quite form words before sighing. "I don't — I mean I... Yeah... Yeah — I think I do. Why?"

His chest is tight, his eyes burn with the threat of maybe-tears as he steals one more glance at Aomine's somehow still elegant formless shot before letting out a laugh that sounds more forced than natural. This is fine, things will be fine like this. Kise has always been good at acting. "Then it's enough," he shrugs as he pushes on the bar, opening one of the heavy doors. It's a response too cryptic for Kagami to grasp a satisfying answer out of but Kise doesn't offer more when he slips through the door only to be pulled back by Kagami's hand clasping tight around his shoulder.

"What does that mean? Kise — what do you mean 'it's enough'?"

Kise pries Kagami's fingers from his shoulder, wriggles free a little too hastily. He can't bear to have the hands that will be touching Aomine on him or see the face that Aomine will be looking at with electric eyes and soft smile any longer. So, he supplies, "For letting go," as he turns and walks away from Kagami before the other can ask any more questions. "It's enough to let him go."

 


End file.
